Who Are Mary Lou Retton's 4 Daughters?
Gymnast Mary Lou Retton stuck the landing in more ways than one at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. That year, Retton became the first American woman ever to take home the gold medal in the all-around gymnastics competition. Meanwhile, with her red, white, and blue leotard, big smile, and vibrant personality, she was an instant celebrity, helped in no small part by her subsequent Wheaties cereal box endorsement. She was later designated Sports Illustrated's "Sportswoman of the Year," USA Today reported. On October 10, 2023, Retton's daughter McKenna Kelley shared on Spotfund that her mother, 55, was in the ICU with a rare type of pneumonia and was "fighting for her life." At that time, Retton was not able to breathe on her own, Kelley's post said.
News of Retton's health condition left many wondering what her life's been like since 1984, and the height of her popularity. Retton, who divorced one-time University of Texas quarterback Shannon Kelley in 2018, has four daughters: Shayla Schrepfer, as well as McKenna Kelley, Skyla Kelley, and Emma Kelley in order of age. In light of Retton's reportedly life-threatening 2023 health challenges, here's an update on where Retton's four daughters are now.
Shayla Schrepfer
Like her mother, Mary Lou Retton's oldest daughter took up gymnastics and competed at a high level for Baylor University. She graduated in 2017 with a degree in health science, and in her junior year, she competed in three events at the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) Individual Championship, according to Distractify. She reportedly won the Pyramid Flip Heat that year. Schrepfer also competed in gymnastics at a high level at Second Baptist School in Houston Texas. While there, she was the level nine state all-around champion and graduated Cum Laude.
In 2020, Schrepfer — then Shayla Kelley — married former Baylor Bears running back, Wyatt Schrepfer, according to her post on YouTube, where she shares aspects of her life on her fitness and lifestyle channel. Also in 2023, Schrepfer revealed she had Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome, a heart condition affecting electrical signals to the heart requiring heart ablation surgery. Though retired from gymnastics, Schrepfer took up competitive bodybuilding at NPC Bikini Shows. In addition to Youtube, you can follow along with Schrepfer's bodybuilding career on Instagram.
McKenna Kelley
Like her big sister, Mary Lou Retton's second-oldest daughter, McKenna Kelley competed in gymnastics while in school. In 2014, she was the senior co-champion at the Nastia Liukin Cup while a student at Second Baptist High School in Houston. Unlike her sister, though, McKenna left Texas for college graduating in 2019 from Louisiana State University where she continued her gymnastics career while she studied psychology. At LSU, she contributed to an LSU SEC Championship win her sophomore year among a long list of other accomplishments.
Also in 2019, McKenna appeared on the TODAY Show alongside her mom. Referring to Retton's 1984 Olympic performance, McKenna said, "I don't think I understood the enormity of what she did and the groundbreaking gymnastics she did at the time. To me, she's just mom," per X, formerly Twitter. McKenna and Retton have also launched "For Mothers and Daughters Forever Our Legacy," benefiting the McKenna Kelley Foundation, supporting athlete mental health. Retton and McKenna have their own line of gymnastics equipment, too, according to Spieth America. Like her sister, Shayla, McKenna posts updates on YouTube.
As news of Retton's health condition spread, on October 11, 2023, McKenna Kelley shared on Instagram, "My sisters Skyla, Shayla, Emma and I would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support for our mom ... My mom is in ICU and continues to fight."
Skyla Kelley
All four of Mary Lou Retton's daughters took up gymnastics, but her third eldest, Skyla Kelley didn't compete while in college at Texas Tech University. Her competitive outlet was competitive cheerleading, instead, as Skyla's sister McKenna Kelley revealed in a 2019 interview, published on Tiger Rag, an LSU sports news outlet. According to her LinkedIn profile, Skyla studied Communication and Media Studies at Texas Tech and worked as a cheerleading coach while still in school. According to People, in 2019 Retton told TODAY, "[Skyla] was a cheerleader. Her path was different than mine and I'm so proud of everything."
In that interview, McKenna revealed what Skyla's childhood and the childhood of her three sisters was like. "We all started in gymnastics because that's obviously second nature to my mom and ... She was like 'If you guys want to keep doing this, great. If not, you don't have to,'" McKenna said. Skyla remains close with her family, based on Instagram photos and updates.
Emma Kelley
As of 2023, Mary Lou Retton's youngest daughter, Emma Kelley was a senior at the University of Arkansas, where she also competed in gymnastics, according to the Arkansas Razorbacks website. Emma has been competing as a level 10 gymnast since 2016, the highest level before a gymnast becomes "elite" or pro in the world of gymnastics, Gymnastics HQ explains. In 2023, she scored a near-perfect 10 on the vault, a personal best at that time. Emma also started her own brand of leotards with her mom called Foxy's Performance Wear.
Back in 2020, Mary Lou Retton became the first woman inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame by three of her own daughters. At that time, Retton's oldest, Shayla Schrepfer posted on Instagram, "Who's the first woman to ever be inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame? That's right, Mary Lou Retton. My sisters and I had the most incredible opportunity to present our mom at the Houston Sports Awards. Mom we are so so proud of you, and will ALWAYS be cheering you on!' the post said.